Harness frame



1,636,726 July za, 1927. E. WEIBEL n HARNESS AFEMME Filed April 24, 1926 l Q M11/mm@ WWE 31:41 JW? im weien 'By -MSL' Patented July Z5, i927.

UNITED STATES 1,636,726 PATENT OFFICE.

HARNESS FRAME.

Application inea April 24, 192e. serial No. 104,379.

This invention relates to heddle-frames characterized by top and bottom wooden rails to which are attached heddle bars (lying in the same plane as and between the rails) on which the heddles are strung.

Heretofore the rails have been rigidly connected, usually by fiat metal side strips each of which bears against theend faces of and is secured fast to the two rails, so that they form with the railsl a rigid frame. The presence of these strips adds considerably to the weight of the heddle frame. and they also contribute to make it impossible to reduce the thickness of the heddle-frame beyond a certain limit, since their screws or other securing means have to be accommodated and for that purpose the wooden rails have to have a certain. thickness in order to receive and properly support the screws. .According to this invention instead of rigidly connecting the two rails, or in fact connecting the rails directly at all7 I provide link members which connect the mentioned heddle bars. Since these link members may be suitable lengths of wire properly fashioned to function as links it is possible by their use to greatly reduce the weight of the heddle frame and also to appreciably reduce its thickness.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a heddle frame embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the structure including the klower rail and heddle bar removed; v

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the upper rail and heddle bar;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front'elevation showing a modification of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 4f; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of a part of the invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 3; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the frame7 illustrating the modified form of the device by which each heddle bar is attached to the coresponding rail.

l l designate the upper and lower rails, which may be of wood, as usual. 2 2 designate the upper and lower heddle bars for the two rails, they being as usual strips of metal. 3 ydesignates devices by which each heddle bar is attached to the corresponding rail. Following the usual construction these are hooks which are screwed into the rails at their relatively inner edges at spaced points and receive vin their hooked portions the heddle bars. l designates the heddles threaded on the heddle bars, which may be and the devices 3 by which the heddle bar is attached to the rail is` connected to the other said structure. In Figs. l, 2 and 3 each of these links is formed of a strip of wire having its ends 6 returned or rebent'to form hooks, there being also a bend preferably at 7 adjoining the hook thus formed so that the bight or spaceof the hook lies in the same plane as the straight body part of the link. Preferably in this form of the invention this bight or space 8 is about as wide as each heddle bar is thick, and the length. of the hook somewhat exceeds the distance between the heddle bar and the rail, rlhere may be as many links as the length of the frame and the number and consequently the weight of the heddles therein may require, but in any event there will be one at each end of the heddle frame. The links are hooked over the heddle bars as shown in Figs. l and 2 and the eective length of each link is such that the weight ofthe lower structure formed by parts l, 2 and 3 is `assumed by the links and not by the heddles, which are thus free to shift laterally.

To prevent the end links from slipping lengthwise of the heddle bars the latter'may be equipped with suitable stops arranged relatively outwardly of the links and so as to coact for this purpose with the hooks 3 inward of and adjoining the links. In the present case these stops are formed by split rings 9 penetrating holes 10 in the ends vof the heddle bars. l

Since the length of the rebent or return portion of each link exceeds the distance between the corresponding element 2 and the abutment for the link afforded by the adjoining rail it will be seen that the links connot be accidentally separated from the heddle bars by lengthwise movement (as when the frame is being handled out of the loom) beca-use they are opposed in suchmovement by the rails. Therefore for attaching any hook to or removing it from a hoddle bar in the construction shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3, the link is shifted to the ljiosition shown by dotted lines in` Fig; 2', sijni'ing'ing the hooks open, which will position the hook so'as to clear the raillon'le'ngth Wise inovei'nent. V

In the inodiiied l'orm of the invention shown in Figs. Ll and 5 the Construction is substantially the same as thatshown in Figs.

l, 2 and 3 excepting that I eliminate the' ieeessity 'for stops7 suoh as 9, by providing` holes l1 in the heddle bars to receive the hooks 6 oi the links". y

Reducing the thickness of the heddle trame may be augmented by employing flattened material, as shown, for theI devices 3 and the links.

For preventing lateral shitting of the oonifiee'ors 5 the Construction sho'ivn in Fig. 7 maybe used.. Here the eyed ory hook-portion of the device 12, corresponding to device 3 iii the other figures, is split in a planeoutting the hed'dle bar and receives the connector 5 in its Split.

Having thusi'ully described my invention what I elaiin and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l; A heddlev trani-eeoinprising, in eombination, with upper and lower structures each including a horizontally elongated heddlesupport-ing element and said upper and lio-Wer struetu'i'e's also including abutifnents close to and respectivelyv above and below such elements thereof, links each having` its ends formed with return portions` and thus hook-shaped, the hooks oi ea'oh link respectively receiving said elements and ea'oh return portion thereof having a length exceed'-V iin;l the distance between the corresponding element and abutment. Y

2. A heddle frame including' upper and lower horizontal vstructures one of Which includes a horizontal rail, a. horizontal heddleloar and any eyed device attached `vto the rail' and receiving the bar in its eve and a connector extending from one to the other structure and engaged With said bar, said eyed device being,` split in a plane cutting,` the heddlefbary and receiving the` connector in its split.

In testimony whereof I aiiix mysignature.

EMIL WEIBEL. 

